The new El Paso County, Colorado, Buc-ee’s has been approved by county officials after an eight-hour session in which community members spoke out against the Texas beaver-themed store’s opening. 

After many residents voiced their opposition to the Texas brand establishing itself in El Paso County, the commissioners court voted 4-1 to approve the appeal made by Buc-ee’s to classify the project as an allowed use under the county’s C-1 zoning rules. The approval means the travel stop meets the criteria for construction and that future plans can be approved administratively and do not need to go through a public process.  

The vote came after an eight-hour session of public comments and testimony from community members voicing their concerns over traffic, environmental issues, water usage and homeowners being “trapped in their homes by a bunch of Texans cutting through their neighborhood.” Buc-ee’s is proposing a location off of Interstate 25 at Monument Hill in El Paso County, Colorado.

However, the big debate that waged on during the session is whether Buc-ee’s meets the criteria for a convenience store under the county’s Land Development Code. More than 160 people registered to speak against the appeal, many citing previous statements by Buc-ee’s that described the development as a travel plaza rather than a convenience store, among other things. 

Chair Carrie Geitner sided with Buc-ee’s on the issue, saying that government does not exist to “control and plan everything” and that she was grateful that when the code was originally written it left room for a pathway of similar use.

Opponents, such as former Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, told commissioners that Buc-ee’s needed to go through the entire zoning process because it wasn’t a convenience store. 

“Common sense tells us this is not a convenience store,” Suthers said at the hearing. “I know it, and you know it. The rule of law requires that the proposed project undergo the rezoning process.”

El Paso County Commissioner Bill Wysong, the sole vote denying the appeal, said that there is still doubt around the Texas chain’s presentation and that the company still must confirm its status as a convenience store fully. 

“I do not believe they (Buc-ee’s) met that burden of proof,” Wysong said. “I’m still concerned why there’s one site plan, but that wasn’t the purpose of today.”

According to El Paso County, the ruling only addressed the land-use classification and did not authorize the development’s construction or operation. Additionally, it did not authorize building permits, utilities, grading, drainage, traffic enhancements, signage, lighting, or site development plans. 

This is Buc-ee’s second attempt to establish a location in El Paso County. In February 2026, after a year long battle with the community, Buc-ee’s withdrew its application for a massive travel center in Palmer Lake, which is in El Paso County. Lawsuits and accusations from the community that local government was in cahoots with the beaver-themed store led to the cancellation. 

The ruling made on Thursday settles one aspect of the conflict, but more county evaluations will be necessary before construction can start. Buc-ee’s must now submit a site development plan, and county employees will review it. 

Buc-ee’s cleared one major hurdle, but it remains to be seen if the El Paso County travel stop reaches the finish line.